Every information processing apparatus such as multi-function peripherals (MFP), facsimile apparatuses, television receivers, and various recorders recording sound or video/sound can perform kana-kanji conversion of input characters (hiragana and numeric characters) to acquire a desired character string, for example, a name of a transmission destination of an e-mail or facsimile document, a title of a record file, a file name, a folder name, and a user comment. Computers such as PCs and workstations also perform such Japanese-language input to create various data.
On the other hand, in computers such as PCs and workstations used daily by a user, Japanese-language conversion software is customized automatically or through setup such that the Japanese-language input can easily and quickly be performed. This customization is performed by registering a dictionary exclusively used by a user or through automatic learning, and as a result, a better Japanese-language input environment can be provided to the user.
However, when Japanese-language input is performed with an information processing apparatus other than the computer used daily by a user, since the apparatus is not customized for the user, the input is troublesome and may bring discomfort.
In this regard, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2004-318385 discloses that a plurality of terminals connected to a network refers to a common dictionary located in a server or an individual dictionary in a storage medium mounted on the terminal to perform Japanese-language conversion input. This publication also discloses that the individual dictionary is preferentially referenced at the time of Japanese-language input conversion.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2002-140295 discloses that an environment of PC used once can be established in another PC. Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2004-334630 discloses that words are taken out from a text acquired from a server and that data of words not registered in a dictionary are acquired from a server and automatically registered.
However, in the system described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2004-318385, kana-kanji conversion (Japanese-language conversion) programs of the terminals must be unified to use the same dictionary with the plurality of terminals. That is, although the same kana-kanji conversion environment is achieved for a user in every terminal in this system, it is premised that the plurality of terminals uses the same converting program and the same common dictionary. Therefore, unless such unification is performed, the same Japanese-language conversion candidates cannot be acquired in an information processing apparatus incorporating a Japanese-language converting program different from the Japanese-language converting program (Japanese-language conversion software) of the computer used daily by the user.
In the system described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2002-140295, since environments are equalized in apparatuses with almost the same specification among PCs and terminals, the usage environments must be adjusted, and the Japanese-language conversion candidates are not matched between different types of apparatus, such as a PC and an information processing apparatus other than the PC.
In the system described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2004-334630, no consideration is given to matching the kana-kanji conversion environment in a plurality of apparatuses and, for example, different word data are registered even when the same user uses the apparatuses.